Saved from bulldozer, UM 'hillock' teems with life

Harvard University has a research forest.  So does Duke.  Yale has multiple forests.  The University of Maryland has “the wooded hillock." a 24-acre patch of trees at the northern tip of the state's flagship public campus.

USDA offers Frederick County farmers help reducing pollution

Farmers may be leery of anyone from the federal government promising help, but here's one offer that sounds too good to refuse.

Land conservation conference looms

Representatives of land trusts and conservation groups are expected to gather May 15 in Columbia for a statewide conference on the challenges of saving land in Maryland.

New farm rules curb manure, sludge use to help Bay

New farm regulations being aired this week by Maryland officials would ease first-ever limits on how, when and where the state's farmers can spread animal manure and sewage sludge on their fields.

Bids being taken for community gardening awards

B'more Green generally stays away from touting commercial products or companies, largely because we lack the time or resources to vet them.  But my green-thumbed colleague Susan Reimer passed this along, and it seemed too worthwhile to ignore:

Rare wildflower saved to bloom another day

Spring is a little showier around here these days, thanks to the efforts of plant specialists at the University of Maryland, College Park.  The staff at UM's Arboretum and Botanical Garden have tracked down and rescued or preserved dozens of patches of an increasingly rare wildflower known as the sundial lupine.

Meetings begin on MD's climate plan

Maryland environmental officials are staging a series of public meetings, beginning today, to get public input on the state's plan to reduce climate-altering pollution.

Emails show O'Malley's close ties to Perdue lawyer

A series of emails between Gov. Martin O'Malley and Perdue's corporate lawyer shows what an environmental group calls a "cozy relationship" between the two law school classmates as Maryland's chief executive weighs farm pollution regulations of concern to the Salisbury-based poultry producer.

Hopkins grabs rays from campus rooftops

College students are gluttons for catching rays - now schools are getting in the act, too.

Oyster planting season begins

Spring's time for planting more than flower and vegetable gardens.  it's oyster planting time, too.

Weekend: Climate "dots", invasive weed pull, urban gardening and more

The upcoming weekend is chock-full of green activities. Here are just some:

Bay pollution trading stirs mixed feelings

Could pollution "trading" really shave billions of dollars from the costs of restoring the Chesapeake Bay?  Or would the long-running cleanup effort suffer at the hands of those looking to make a buck on it?

Chesapeake Bay Foundation to appeal Sparrows Point ruling

Environmental groups are appealing a federal judge's ruling that the owners of the Sparrows Point steel mill need only do a limited search for offshore pollution from the plant.

EPA keeps heat on to reduce summer smog

Just in time for the start of ozone season, the Environmental Protection Agency officially reminds us that Baltimoreans are still breathing unhealthful levels of pollution in their air in late spring and summer.

Horseshoe crabs holding own near Ocean City

With another spawning season about to begin, horseshoe crabs appear to be hanging on in Maryland's coastal bays, despite limited habitat for their annual reproductive reunion.

Developer reviving big housing project in W MD?

A controversial big housing development in western Maryland that was reported last fall to be shelved apparently has new life.

Weekend: Go plant something or take a hike

With spring here, lots of green things to do this weekend.

Offshore oil exploration plan draws fire

The Obama administration's latest move to permit testing for oil and gas off Maryland and other Atlantic coast states is drawing flak from both environmentalists and the oil industry.

Report: Baltimore's air cleaner, but still among most polluted

Baltimore's air is healthier to breathe than it used to be, but the region still has some of the nation's worst smog and soot pollution, according to the American Lung Association.

Algae "scrubber" tackles harbor pollution

In their quest to cure Baltimore's ailing harbor, advocates and authorities have tried one gadget after another: floating wetlands, a solar-powered aerator, even a trash wheel.

Four MD schools win "green ribbon" awards

Four Maryland schools won recognition Monday in the U.S. Department of Education's first-ever listing of "green ribbon" schools, so honored because of their promotion of energy efficiency, environmental health and education.

Environmental groups seek Bay lawsuit dismissal

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation and other environmental groups have urged a Pennsylvania federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the federal government's plan for reducing pollution fouling the estuary.

Atlantic offshore oil & gas exploration gets hearing

The Obama administration's move to open the mid- and South Atlantic coasts to offshore oil and gas exploration is scheduled to get a public airing in Annapolis on Wednesday.

Earth Day weekend: Not just another marketing opportunity

Earth Day weekend is upon us.  I can tell because my email inbox is jammed with pitches for "green" products and corporate campaigns: Clothing made from recycled plastic bottles; natural skin care products; hybrid auto accessories, even pet waste collection bags.

Crab population has rebounded, state says

Rebounding from near-collapse four years ago, the Chesapeake Bay's blue crabs are more plentiful than they've been in nearly two decades, with a record crop of young, Maryland officials announced Thursday.